Dyeing process



Sept. 28, 1937. l J, scHMnz-JR 2,094,501

DYEING PRcEss Original Filed Feb. 17, 1934 f 27 54 gi- Z 2 f zo dise 25J Patented sept. 2s, 1937 PATENT oFF-ICE DYEING PROCESS Joseph Schmitz, Jr., Philadelphia, Pa.

Original application FebruaryJ'i, 1934, Serial No. 711,771. Divided and this application March 2.0, 1936, Serial No. 69,949

6 Claims.

This invention relates to a method for dyeing various kinds of materials and particularly to-the dyeing of hosiery, wherein a batch of stockings is placed in a porous woven or mesh bag and a 5 plurality of such bags are placed in each of a plurality of compartments of a dyeing machine, such as that disclosed in the copending application, Serial No. 711,771, led February 17, 1934 and of which the present application is a division.

In dyeing machines of the type commonly used for dyeing hosiery the dye liquor is usually maintained at a level below the axis of rotation of the drum and as the ldrum is rotated the bags of hosiery in the compartments of the drum formed usually between radially extending partitions are successively picked up and out of the liquor, carred over the axis of the drum and resubmerged in the liquor at the opposite side of the center of the drum as the drum rotates.

During the dyeing of the stockings in this manner the bags of hosiery are subjected to considerable tumbling in the compartments, which tangles the hosiery to a great extent and causes what is known in the art as roughing or friction marks on the hosiery. This condition is prevalent particularly inthe dyeing of natural or artificial silk hosiery which is reinforced with cotton in the heel, toe and foot soie portions thereof and in which such marks develop.

As a result of this method of dyeing hosiery, when the dyer wishes to take a sample from one of the bags it is necessary to stop the drum with one of the compartments turned upwardly, which holds the stockings in that particular compartment clear of the dye liquor while the stockings in' the remaining compartments are held submerged in the liquor.

As a result of the tumbling, which the stockings have received during dyeing, the stockings are tangled to such an extent that it takes the dyer a considerable length of time to extract a sample stocking from the batch. During this time and while the sample is being compared with a color chart or a previously dyed sample which is to be matched all the stockings in the elevated compartment are subjected to contact with the at' mosphere. Such exposure causes oxidation of the dyestu and changes the shade of the exposed batches of stockings from that of the submerged are not subjected to tumbling nonexposed to the atmosphere at any time during dyeing or sample taking.

Another object of the invention is to provide a method of dyeing wherein the batches of hosiery or a bulk of any kind of material to be or capable of being dyed in the following mariner is primarily suspended and iioated freely in and submerged completely adjacent the surface of the dye liquor and wherein the bulk of material is floated laterally, first in one direction, then downwardly, then laterally in the opposite direction and upwardly to the ilrst position, without eiecting rotation of the bulk about its own axis.

Another object of the invention is to provide a method of dyeing wherein the batch of material being dyed will receive a gentle lengthwise contraction and crosswise expansion during passage through certain cycles of the dyeing method and during passage through other cycles the batch or bulk of material will be subjected to a lengthwise l expansion and crosswise contraction.

The construction and operation ci' a preferred form of mechanism capable of putting the method of the present invention into effect will be fully disclosed hereinafter, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, of which:

Fig. 1 is a transverse sectional elevation of the vat and drum of a dyeing machine showing the positions of the batches of material in the various compartments of the drum during one portion of l a complete cycle oi' rotation of the drum; l

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. l but showing the batches of material in different positions in another portionv of the cycle of rotation of the drum.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the apparatus comprises, in general, a substantially semi-cylindrical or U-shaped vat 3. Within the vat 3 and well below the top edge thereof lare bearings for trunnions or the ends of a shaftll which project laterally from the opposite ends respectively of the drum ill of the machine, for rotatably supporting said drum in said vat.

As clearly shown in the above noted copending application, the drum comprises a pair of end rings which are disposed concentrically with respect to the shaft Il and which are supported by radially extending arms formed integral with the rings and with hubs which are secured to the shaft Il in spaced relation to each other longitudinally thereof.

In the preferred formof the apparatus, the drum I0 consists of three independent baskets 20 20, each of a general elliptical shape in cross section, as clearly shown in Figs-1 and.2. Each basket 20 comprises open end frames 2 I, 2| which are secured to the above noted end rings.

The end frames 2|, 2|, in each instance, are maintained in laterally spaced relation to each other, in a direction longitudinally of the shaft I I, by longitudinally extending bars 25, 26 and 21.

The opposite ends of each of the elliptical baskets 2IJ are preferably covered with wide open mesh metal screening 28, which is secured to the frame 2| in any suitable manner, as, for example, by welding or brazing the cut ends of the screen wires to said frame.

The inner semi-elliptical wall 30 of each of the baskets 20 is likewise preferably composed of similar wide open wire mesh screening and is formed as a continuous uninterrupted arc of a circle struck from a center disposed beyond the periphery of the drum, in the present case. The inner walls 30 of the three brackets, in the presentY instance, are disposed in relatively close substantially tangential relation to each other around the shaft I I.

The outer wall 29 of each of the baskets or compartments 20 is formed on an arc struck from the axis of the shaft I I, in the present instance, and is'divided into two 'parts 3| and 32 respectively. The part 32 constitutes a door for the compartment and is composed of a substantially rectangular convexed frame 33 which is hinged at 34 to the longitudinal bar 21 of the basket compartment 20, said door frame being covered with wide wire mesh the same as or similar to that v of the end and inner walls of the basket.

The section 3| of the outer wall 29 is likewise composed of wide open mesh with the edges thereof secured to the longitudinal bars 25 and 21 and to the end frames 2|, 2| of the basket. Any suitable forni of latch may be provided on the frame 33 for securing the free edge of the door section 32 to the longitudinal bar 26 of the basket.

The drum I0 is adapted to be rotated in either direction constantly or in opposite directions alternately by any suitable mechanism whereby the drum I0 may make a predetermined number of revolutions in one direction after which the direction of rotation may be changed to rotate the drum a predetermined number of revolutions in the opposite direction.

Dye liquor may be run into the vat 3 in any convenient manner, as through suitable pipes 42, g

42 mounted in the bottom of the vat 3, below the drum I0, said pipes being arranged to be supplied with liquor from a suitable container under control of a suitable valve and accelerated by steam pressure supplied through a suitable injector pipe ,under control of a suitable Valve. Exhaust of the dye liquor from the vat 3 may be eiected through a suitable drain pipe under control of a suitable Valve. Clear rinsing water may be supplied to the vat in any suitable and convenient manner.

As shown in Fig. 1, the level of the dye liquor :zz-:r is maintained well above the axis of the drum shaft II. One of the baskets 20 is shown with the longer axis of its elliptical cross section disposed substantially horizontal in the position in which the basket may be opened, to load or unload the basket or to take samples from one of the several bags containing batches of hosiery confined within the basket. The other two of the baskets, which with the iirst said basket constitute the drum I0, are shown with their longer axes disposed at angles of substantially 120 with respect to the corresponding axis of the uppermost basket.

In Fig. 2, the drum is shown as having rotated through an angle of substantially 60, from the position shown in Fig. 1, wherein one of the baskets is shown with its longer axis disposed in a horizontal plane below the shaft I I and the other two baskets with their long axes disposed at 120 angles from the axis of the lowermost basket.

In the course of operation, after each of the baskets has been loaded with a predetermined number of bags or batches of stockings, the drum I0 is preferably rotated from the positions shown in Fig. 1 through the position shown in Fig. 2 for a predetermined number of complete revolutions, in one direction, and then through a predetermined number of complete revolutions in the opposite direction. In the course of such revolutions of the drum all the bags are maintained continually below the liquor level z-m as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

The buoyant character of the goods being dyed, i. e., hosiery, is such that the bags of stockings tend to iloat and rise in the liquor and as the drum rotates, as for example, in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 1, the bags in the uppermost basket are floated laterally by gentle contact with the inner arcuate wall 30 of the uppermost basket. As the upper basket moves from position a (Fig. l) to position b (Fig. 2) the lateral movement of the bags in the upper basket is restricted by and between the arcuate walls 29 and 30, and by which the bags are moved closer together, contracting the mass composed of the several bags in the basket lengthwise, while the mass continues to be suspended in the dye liquor, as clearly shown at position b (Fig. 2).

As the basket moves from position b (Fig. 2) to position c (Fig. 1) the inner arcuate wall 30 and the outer arcuate wall 29 of the basket move around the floating bags without materially disturbing the general relation of the bags one to another and without effecting any tumbling of the bags.

The basket then moves from position c (Fig. 1) to position d (Fig. 2) wherein the mass or plurality of bags again spreads or expands lengthwise, contracts crosswise, and floats upwardly toward the inner arcuate wall 30 of the basket then in the lowermost position, as clearly shown in Fig. 2.

. Continued rotation of the drum moves the basket from position d (Fig. 2) to position e (Fig. l), wherein the basket again revolves about the -bags of stockings which tend to float upwardly in the liquor, but, due to the restriction of the inner wall 30 and outer wall 29 of the basket the mass or plurality of bags of stockings is again contracted lengthwise and expanded crosswise as the bags are moved into a closer relationship to each other, still without effecting any tumbling of the bags.

` From position e (Fig. l) to position f (Fig. 2) the basket continues to revolve about the upwardly floating bags of stockings which, during such movement of the basket, spread lengthwise and contract crosswise again until the maximum original uppermost position is reached, as the basket moves from position f (Fig. 2) to position a (Fig. 1), for a repeat of the cycle.

Due to the open elliptical character of the baskets and the high level and substantially quiescent state of the liquor in the vat the baskets, as above noted, in effect, revolve about their respective contents and in so doing, and by rea- Cil sonA of their shape, effect the above noted gentle contractions and expansions of their respective contents. This gentle expansionl and contraction creates just the right amount of gentle agitation of the dye liquor through the contents of the baskets to secure complete penetration of the dye liquor into the very innermost parts of the contents, such as the back-leg and foot seams of full fashioned hosiery; and as a result of the rotation of the baskets about their respective contents no tumbling and consequent tangling of the contents, and therefore no friction marking of the stockings, is effected.

The open character of the baskets, provided by the wide open mesh screen presents no resistance to the free ow of the liquor and this causes no violent agitation of the liquor as the drum rotates.

After the mass has been so treated for a predetermined period of time, a sample may be readily withdrawn from any one of the bags in any one of the baskets and rinsed to prevent oxidation while the rest of the lot remains below the liquor level and consequently is not subjected to oxidation.

If the lot has been dyed to the required degree the dye liquor may be drawn off and clear rinse water run into the vat so that the color is set without exposing the mass to shade variations by oxidation.

I claim:

1. The method of dyeing whichtconsists in completely submerging and maintaining buoyant bulk material to be dyed in free relatively flat shallow floating suspension adjacent the surface of a substantially quiescent body of dye liquor, floating said bulk laterally and downwardly then laterally in the opposite direction land upwardly through the substantially quiescent body of dye liquor, and effecting lengthwise contraction and crosswise expansion of the bulk during said downward and upward parts of the travel of the material through said body of liquor.

2. The method of dyeing which consists in completely submerging and maintaining buoyant bulk material to be dyed in free relatively fiat shallow floating suspension adjacent the surface of a substantially quiescent body of dye liquor, floating said bulk laterally and downwardly then laterally in the opposite direction and upwardly through the substantially quiescent body of dye liquor, effecting lengthwise contraction and crosswise expansion of the bulk during said downwardand upward parts of the travel of the material through said body of liquor, and effecting lengthwise expansion and crosswise contraction of the bulk during said lateral parts of the travel of the material through said body of liquor.

floating said bulk laterally and downwardly then laterally in the opposite direction and upwardly through the substantially quiescent body of dye liquor without effecting rotation of the bulk about its own axis, effecting lengthwise contraction and crosswise expansion of the bulk during said downward and upward parts of the travel of the material through said bodyy of liquor, and effecting lengthwise expansion and crosswise contraction of the bulk during said lateral parts of the travel of the material through said body of liquor.

4. The method of dyeing which consists in completely submerging and maintaining buoyant bulk material to be dyed in free relatively fiat shallow floating suspension adjacent the surface of a substantially quiescent body of dye liquor, floating said bulk laterally and downwardly then laterally in the opposite direction and upwardly through the substantially quiescent body of dye liquor, effecting a gentle lengthwise contraction and crosswise expansion of the bulk during said downward and upward parts of the travel of the material through said body of liquor, and effecting a gentle lengthwise expansion and crosswise contraction of the bulk during said lateral parts of the travel of the material through said body of liquor. A 5. The method of dyeing which consists in completely submerging and maintaining buoyant bulk material to be dyed in free relatively flat shallow floating suspension adjacent the surface of a substantially quiescent body of dye liquor, floating said bulk laterally and downwardly then laterally in the opposite direction and upwardly through the substantially quiescent body of dye liquor without effecting rotation of the bulk about its own axis, effecting a gentle lengthwise contraction and crosswise expansion of the bulk during said downward and upward parts of the travel of the material through said body of liquor, and effecting a gentle lengthwise expansion and crosswise contraction of the bulk during said lateral parts of the travel of the material through said body of liquor.

6. The method of dyeing which consists in completely submerging and maintaining buoyant bulk material to be dyed in free relatively flat shallow floating suspension adjacent the surface of a substantially quiescent body of dye liquor, floating the bulk in a substantially circular course in a vertical plane about a horizontal axis deeply submerged in said substantially quiescent body of liquor without effecting rotation of the `bulk about its own axis during floating through said body of liquor, effecting lengthwise contraction and crosswise expansion of the bulk in predetermined 

